Victim’s mother says Mont. rapist eluding justice

This undated photo courtesy of Auliea Hanlon shows Cherice Moralez, who was raped in 2007 when she was 14 by teacher Stacey Rambold in Billings, Mont. Rambold is due to be released from prison on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013 after serving just 30 days. The short sentence triggered a backlash against the judge who handled the case, including calls for him to be removed from the bench. (AP Photo/Auliea Hanlon)

FILE - In this Aug. 26, 2013 file photo, Stacey Rambold stands in a courtroom after sentencing by Judge G. Todd Baugh in Billings, Mont., for the rape of Cherice Moralez. The legality of Rambold's sentence of 30 days is being challenged by state Attorney General Tim Fox. (AP Photo/Billings Gazette, Paul Ruhter, File)

BILLINGS, Mont. >> A former Montana high school teacher due to be released Thursday after serving a 30-day prison sentence for raping a 14-year-old student is “still skating” justice six years after the assault, the victim’s mother said.

Stacey Rambold, 54, will leave the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge after completing the term handed down by District Judge G. Todd Baugh of Billings last month for the 2007 rape of Cherice Moralez.

The sentence drew protests for being too lenient and outrage over comments the judge made that appeared to pin some of the blame on Moralez.

Tears streamed down Auliea Hanlon’s face as she described the emotions that have at times overwhelmed her since a church counselor her daughter confided in first told Hanlon about the rape. Moralez committed suicide in 2010 before Rambold went to trial.

“I figured he’d be fired, go to jail, and she would be vindicated, and that would be the end of it,” Hanlon said Wednesday. “Instead, here it is six years later, still going on, and he’s getting out. ... He’s still skating.”

State officials say Rambold must register as a sex offender and will remain on probation as prosecutors appeal the case to the Supreme Court in hopes of sending him back to prison for a longer term.

In court documents and during the sentencing hearing, Lansing described his client as a one-time offender with no prior record who took responsibility for his actions when he admitted to a single count of rape under a 2010 deferred prosecution agreement that was made after Moralez killed herself.

Hanlon has said Rambold’s actions were a “major factor” in her daughter’s suicide. Moralez felt guilty for ruining Rambold’s life, and was ostracized and ridiculed by her peers after details in the case became public, Hanlon said.

The agreement with prosecutors allowed Rambold to remain free for more than three years until he was kicked out of his sex offender treatment program for unauthorized visits with relatives’ children and for not disclosing that he was in a sexual relationship with a Washington woman.

At the time, Rambold was renting an apartment in Billings and working as a telephone trainer for a technology company, according to court documents.

When Rambold came back before the court in August, Baugh appeared to show sympathy for the defendant and agreed with Lansing’s recommendation that Rambold receive a 15-year sentence with all but one month suspended.

The judge also made comments pinning some of the responsibility in the case on Moralez, whom he described as “older than her chronological age.”

The comments drew a strong backlash from many women’s groups, victims’ rights advocates and others, who said the judge was blaming a victim who had not reached Montana’s age of consent, which is 16.

Prosecutors said Baugh’s lenient sentence was not allowed under a state law that requires Rambold to serve a mandatory minimum of two years in prison.

A formal complaint to have Baugh removed from the bench for alleged bias is pending before the state Judicial Standards Commission.

But Hanlon said her focus remains on Rambold and the appeal of his sentence, which prosecutors said could take six to 18 months to work its way through the Montana Supreme Court.

For years, Hanlon said she carried around a photograph of her daughter’s rapist, so she would recognize him if they ever crossed paths. With his return to Billings, she said she likely would walk away if she encountered him now.

“I considered going down to the jail to forgive him, but I don’t know,” she said. “I’m still waiting for a sign from God.”